112 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



variable species ag mantn, there is nothing strange in the occurrence of 

 such specimens. Dr. Chapman does not mention any totally without 

 the mahogany coloration, but there is no reason why they should not 

 occur. If they do, however, they must be very rare, and I think the 

 specimens from the above list of localities prove that the type form 

 of coloration is the predominant one all over Switzerland. The fact 

 of tiianto producing varieties in which certain areas of the wing are 

 nearer the colour of (lavarnieims, and possibly, in very extreme cases, 

 somewhat resembling it, is very poor ground for uniting the two ; this 

 habit of one species developing varieties, which more or less resemble 

 another totally distinct species, is a common one in the genus Flrebia, 

 in many cases to a far more pronounced extent. 



Dr. Chapman further notes of iiacarnienaify : "I have a specimen, a 

 ^ , with a rusty blotch and two black spots. On the under surface 

 some rusty coloration is more frequent." Like most species in this 

 genus, (lavarnienus shows a certain amount of minor variation, but, 

 m a comparison of two species, these occasional aberrations are not of 

 much importance. The statement about the coloration of the under- 

 side would be misleading to a person unacquainted with the species. 

 The colour referred to is certainly more frequent on the under- than 

 on the upperside, where it is extremely rare, but it only amounts to 

 traces (and very slight ones at that) of the macular band. It does not 

 affect the ground colour in any way. 



The last few lines of Dr. Chapman's article read : " The chief 

 difierence between iiiaxto and (javarnieuHin is that the latter is larger, 

 or, rather, that many Hwiss forms of iiianto are very iiiuch smaller 

 (some being as large). Large size is, however, a characteristic of 

 various species as we approach and enter the Spanish region." 



It would be more correct to say one of the chief differences is the 

 large size of (lavainienais, nor can this size be merely put aside as 

 owing to its habitat. It is well known that may species from the 

 Pyrenees are very fine, and larger than their central European repre- 

 sentatives ; but, as far as my experience goes, there is no constancy 

 about this increase in size. While some specimens are larger, one 

 finds with them quite normal sized ones, in about equal numbers. 

 Indeed, looking over the various series of Pyrenean butterflies in my 

 collection, I find that at least half the specnnens in each series are 

 of the same size as the ordinary central European ones. This is not 

 the case with (iavarnieim», its size being very constant. 



There is another point of difference between the two which is 

 worth commenting on, viz., their habitats. Of f/avannensiK I write 

 merely from my knowledge of the species at Gavarnie, where it is 

 confined to an extremely limited area in the Val d'Ossoue. In other 

 places, when it occurs, it may be more widely distributed (it could 

 certainly not be less so), but, seeing that there is absolutely'' no reason 

 why it should not spread, both up and down the Val d'Ossoue (if it is 

 a species to which it is natural to do so), there does not seem to be 

 much reason for supposing it would show very great difference in this 

 respect in other localities. How very different from this is the case 

 of iiianto. In districts where it occurs, nothing apparently checks 

 its spread. All sorts of ground are equally acceptable to it, from the 

 bare rocks of the high Alps (it has a range of altitude of at least 

 3,500ft.) to the grassy slopes, thousands of feet lower down. One day 



